Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 210 The So-Called Open Mind
Soon, a shocking scene unfolded.

A dozen or so women were brought out one after another. Although their faces were withered, they said frankly that they did not want to leave Baishui Village.

"Where can we go after leaving the village?"

The oldest woman sighed and said, "Staying in the village will at least prevent us from starving."

Zhong Hui and the others remained silent.

It's not that I don't know what to say, but rather that I don't know how to put it.

What did they say? They said that if we came to the Peach Blossom Sect, as long as we could work, we wouldn't starve?
But what if the peach tree can't be grown?

Should we leave this mess to Sect Leader Qin?
Or are they the ones who have been paying to support these women all along?

Seeing that no one spoke, Dong Sihai's lips curled up slightly, and his expression was somewhat smug: "What do you think, esteemed immortals? I told you long ago, the village has treated them quite well!"

"What's it to me!"

Zhong Hui instinctively disliked Dong Sihai, so she simply put on a fierce face and said, "I don't care about all that. Whether they want to or not, they have to come with me today! If you don't release them, I'll beat you until you do!"

Dong Sihai hurriedly said, "Immortal Master, you have misunderstood. I did not refuse to release them. If you need anything, please take them away!"

Zhong Hui snorted and raised his chin, gesturing to the dozen or so women in front of him, "All of you, come with me!"

Ye Hanxing didn't dare to criticize Zhong Hui's actions, but instinctively felt that it was a bit too simplistic and crude, so she whispered in Qin Jiang's ear, "Is this... is Senior Sister Zhong's behavior appropriate?"

"That's just right. These women don't want to leave. Do you really think that Dong Sihai is that good to them? They're just afraid of ruining their reputations and not being able to survive back at their parents' homes, and they're afraid of losing their livelihoods and not even having enough to eat if they leave!"

Sun Ping lowered his voice and explained to Ye Hanxing, "So, as long as we take them to the Peach Blossom Sect, and once they're settled in, we can leave them some money as helpers at the Immortal Peach Garden. They'll be able to eat their fill and survive. You can tell whether they'd rather stay in the village or at the Peach Blossom Sect!"

Ye Hanxing was still somewhat confused: "That sounds no different from being in the village?"

Sun Ping sneered, lowering his voice even further, and said, "The difference is huge! Do you think this place is any good? I know these gangs in the martial arts world better than anyone else. Even the prostitutes who sell their bodies probably live more comfortably than them!"

"what?"

Ye Hanxing still didn't quite understand, while Zhong Hui had already led more than a dozen women swaggering out of the village.

Feng Guang frowned, opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he glanced at Sun Ping with a half-smile, he swallowed his words and turned to follow Zhong Hui.

Qin Jiang and Ye Hanxing followed one after the other, but Sun Ping took a careful look at Dong Sihai, who seemed to have no complaints, and even smiled at him in a friendly manner before hurriedly turning around and leaving.

Not long after they left, Sun Ping called the group back and said, "Just as I said before, you all go and see the people off. You can go straight back to White Stone Mountain. I'm going to wander around the area and see if I can find a few of the White Dragon Gang's enemies to give them some trouble!"

Zhong Hui, unsuspecting, nodded in agreement. Qin Jiang and Ye Hanxing also casually responded before taking care of the two women who walked with very awkward postures.

Feng Guang, however, deliberately lagged behind by two steps, staring at Sun Ping with a serious expression: "You—"

"Junior Brother Feng, why are you acting like Sect Leader Xu!" Sun Ping raised his hand, looking like he was "afraid of you," and patted his chest, saying, "Don't worry, I promise I won't lay a hand on you, okay?"

Feng Guang was taken aback by Sun Ping's words and didn't try to persuade him further. Instead, he said, "Senior Brother Sun, both Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister have said that the most important thing in cultivating immortality is a clear and unobstructed mind. If one has committed too many killings, it's easy to fail the tribulation. Places like the White Dragon Gang are nothing but filthy swamps; there's no need to risk your life." Sun Ping was somewhat annoyed and said, "Old Feng, why are you being so indecisive! I said I wouldn't do it, and I really won't! Trust me!"

"Sigh, Senior Brother Sun, you were among the first in our group to achieve Qi Induction, with excellent aptitude and a bright future... You'd better watch yourself..."

Seeing Sun Ping's increasingly impatient expression, Feng Guang felt helpless and could only shake his head and turn back to chase after Zhong Hui and the others.

Once Feng Guang's figure had completely disappeared, Sun Ping snorted coldly and muttered, "Understanding the mind? If I didn't run this place, that would be the one who doesn't understand the mind!"

After muttering to himself, he produced a sword from somewhere, but after only glancing at it twice, he sheathed it, muttering to himself, "Sigh, I said I wouldn't use my hands, so I'll have to use my feet. It's a pity I don't know any leg techniques, and I don't know if kicking with spiritual energy would even work..."

Sun Ping wanted to destroy the White Dragon Gang not only because of some unpleasant rumors he had heard from Zhong Hui and others, but more importantly, because he, as someone whose father was unknown and whose mother had been a prostitute, had seen too many similar situations.

He knew it all too well; weren't many sects and gangs in the North just like that?
His mother, who had been a prostitute in a small gang, died when he was very young.

He didn't know how to change this situation.

But at least we can keep our eyes closed and our minds at peace.

For example, destroying the entire White Dragon Gang.

Suppressing his displeasure, Sun Ping returned to the front of Baishui Village and kicked open the gate that had just been closed.

The leader of the White Dragon Gang had a dark expression on his face and seemed to be gathering his gang members to talk about something. He was somewhat taken aback when he saw Sun Ping kick open the gate.

"Immortal, Immortal Master?" Dong Sihai's features twisted for a moment, but he quickly put on a fawning expression and asked with his hands clasped, "May I ask why you have returned, Immortal Master? Is there something important that brings you here?"

"How much have you done for the magistrate of this area?"

Sun Ping made a casual, deceptive statement.

Dong Sihai replied respectfully, "You flatter us, Immortal Master. How could a Jianghu gang like ours possibly be worthy of such an honor!"

"I just promised my junior brother that I wouldn't fight you,"

Sun Ping's words startled Dong Sihai, but before Dong Sihai could say anything, Sun Ping stepped forward, closing the distance to within a foot of Dong Sihai in the blink of an eye, and then kicked out—

A powerful surge of spiritual energy whipped up a gale and slammed into Dong Sihai. Before Dong Sihai could even react or protect himself with his true energy, he was kicked away and sent flying with a thud, crashing heavily into the wall of a house in the distance.

Then, the wall that Dong Sihai had crashed into collapsed with a crash, and wooden planks, beams, and tiles shattered all over the ground, hitting Dong Sihai and immediately causing him to gasp for breath.

"You brat! Our leader has been so tolerant, yet you act so unreasonable. This is intolerable!"

It's unclear who uttered the first curse, but the crowd in the village was immediately enraged, and one after another they drew their knives and raised their clubs.

The ordinary members of the White Dragon Gang did not understand the power of this kick. They thought it was just because their leader was caught off guard. They did not think that Dong Sihai had almost died because of the kick. They just yelled and rushed towards Sun Ping amidst the shouts of the leaders.

Meanwhile, to prevent himself from taking action, Sun Ping quickly put his hands behind his back, then focused his mind and gathered his spiritual power, channeling it into his legs. He kicked one after another, then kicked two after two, and in the blink of an eye, he had kicked a group of ferocious White Dragon Gang members to the ground, causing many deaths and injuries.

(End of this chapter)